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PSYCB 1101: Introduction to Psychology > Semester 1 > Flashcards

Semester 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Psychology

A

The science of behaviour and mental processes

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2
Q

Major subfields of psychology

A

Biological - Psychologists who analyse the biological factors influencing behaviour and mental processes

Cognitive - Psychologists who study the mental processes underlying judgement, decision making and problem solving

Social - Psychologists who seek to assess, understand and change abnormal behaviour

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3
Q

Neuroscience

A

The scientific study of all levels of the nervous system.

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4
Q

Structuralism (Titchener & Wundt)

A

To study conscious experience and its structure

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5
Q

Gestalt psychology (Wertheimer)

A

To describe the organisation of mental processes

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6
Q

Psychoanalysis (Freud)

A

To explain personality and behaviour; to develop techniques for treating mental disorders

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7
Q

Functionalism (James)

A

To study how the mind works in allowing an organism to adapt to the environment

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8
Q

Behaviourism (Watson & Skinner)

A

To study only observable behaviour and explain behaviour through learning principles

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9
Q

Approaches to the science of psychology

A

Biological approach - Emphasises activity of the nervous system, brain, hormones, chemicals and genetics

Evolutionary approach - Emphasises the ways in which behaviour and mental processes are adaptive for survival

Psychodynamic approach - Emphasises internal conflicts, mostly unconscious, which usually pit sexual or aggressive instincts against environmental obstacles to their expression

Behavioural approach - Emphasises learning, especially each person’s experience with rewards and punishments

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10
Q

Experiment

A

A situation in which the researcher manipulates one variable and then observes the effect of that manipulation on another variable, while holding all other variables constant

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11
Q

Axon terminal

A

Are bulb-like structures at the end of an axon which release neurotransmitters

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12
Q

Dendrites

A

Neuron fibres that receive signals from other neurons and carry those signals to the cell body

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13
Q

Axons

A

Fibres that carry signals from the body of a neuron out to where communication occurs with other neurons

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14
Q

Synapse

A

The tiny gaps between neurons across which they communicate

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15
Q

Myelin

A

A fatty substance that wraps around some axons and increases the speed of action potentials

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16
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

Chemicals that assist in the transfer of signals from one neuron to another

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17
Q

Action potential

A

An abrupt wave of electrochemical changes travelling down an axon when a neuron becomes depolarised

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18
Q

Nodes of Ranvier

A

Gaps in the myelin sheath that allow the action potential to be propagated and regenerated

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19
Q

Excitatory potential

A

Depolarises the neural membrane making the cell more likely to fire an action potential

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20
Q

Inhibitory potential

A

Hyperpolarises the neural membrane making the cell less likely to fire an action potential

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21
Q

Autonomic nervous system

A

A subsystem of the PNS that carries messages between the CNS and the heart, lungs and other organs and glands

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22
Q

Somatic nervous system

A

A subsystem of the PNS that transmits information from the senses to the CNS and carries those signals to the muscles to enable movement

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23
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

The subsystem of the ANS that readies the body for vigorous activity and activates the flight, fight and freeze response

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24
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

The subsystem of the ANS that influences activity related to the protection, nourishment and growth of the body

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25
Q

Major structures of the brain

A

Hindbrain - Where nuclei control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and other functions

Midbrain - Relays info from the eyes, ears and skin that controls types of automatic behaviours

Forebrain - Responsible for the most complex aspects of behaviour and mental life

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26
Q

Corpus callosum

A

A bundle of nerve fibres that connects the left and right hemispheres

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27
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

The outer bark that covers the forebrain and processes complex information

28
Q

Thalamus

A

Relays signals from sense organs to higher levels of the brain and processes information to make sense of it

29
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Connects to ANS and is involved in regulating hunger, thirst and sex drive

30
Q

Amygdala

A

Involved in fear and reward learning

31
Q

Hippocampus

A

Associated with the formation of memories

32
Q

Striatum

A

Together with the substantia nigra coordinates smooth initiation of movement

33
Q

Serotonin

A

Used by cells in parts of the brain involved in regulation of sleep, mood and eating

34
Q

Dopamine

A

Used in parts of the brain involved in regulating movement and pleasure

35
Q

Gamma - amino butyric acid (GABA)

A

A neurotransmitter that inhibits the firing of neurons

36
Q

Glutamate

A

An excitatory neurotransmitter which helps strengthen synaptic connections between neurons

37
Q

Parts of the eye

A 
Cornea 
Iris 
Pupil 
Lens 
Retina
38
Q

Theories of colour vision

A

Trichromatic theory - Identifies three types of visual elements, each of which is most sensitive to different wavelengths of light. (short, medium and large wavelengths)

Opponent-process theory - States that colour-sensitive visual elements are grouped into red-green, blue-yellow and black-white elements

39
Q

Synaesthesia

A

A blending of sensory experience that cause some people to “see” sounds or “taste” colours, for example

40
Q

Sensation and perception

A

Sensation - Messages from senses that make up raw information that affects behaviour and mental processes

Perception - The process through which people take sensations from the environment and interpret them

41
Q

Depth perception

A

The ability to perceive distance

42
Q

Depth cues

A

Interposition - Closer objects block one’s view of things further away

Linear perspective - Objects closer to the point at which two lines appear to converge are perceived to be at a greater distance

Gradient of texture - A graduated change in the texture of the visual field, whereby objects with finer, less detailed textures are perceived as more distant

Relative size - Is when we perceive the object producing the largest image as being the nearest, and the object producing the smallest image as being the farthest

Height in the visual field - Shows depth by showing objects further away. Such as an aeroplane, clouds and birds.

43
Q

Eye convergence and retinal disparity

A

Eye convergence - A depth cue involving the rotation of the eyes to project the image on each retina

Retinal disparity - A depth cue based on the difference between two retinal images of the world

44
Q

Schemas

A

Mental representations of categories of objects, events and people

45
Q

Absolute threshold

A

The minimum amount of stimulus energy that can be detected 50 percent of the time

46
Q

Learning

A

The modification through experience of pre-existing behaviour and understanding

47
Q

Habituation

A

Response to a stimulus will decline when it is repeated

48
Q

Sensitisation

A

Exposure to a strong stimulus will re-initate response to a habituated cue

49
Q

Extinction

A

The gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when a conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an unconditioned stimulus

50
Q

Spontaneous recovery

A

The reappearance of the conditioned response after extinction and without further pairings of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus

51
Q

Stimulus generalisation and discrimination

A

Stimulus generalisation - A phenomenon in which the conditioned response is elicited by stimuli that are similar but not identical to conditioned stimulus

Stimulus discrimination - A process where individuals learn to differentiate among similar stimuli and respond appropriately to each one

52
Q

Reinforcers

A

Positive reinforcement - Stimuli that strengthen a response if they follow that response

Negative reinforcement - Unpleasant stimuli, such as pain, that strengthen a response if they are removed following that response

53
Q

Shaping

A

The process of reinforcing responses that come successively closer to the desired response

54
Q

Punishment

A

Presentation of a negative stimulus or the removal of a pleasant stimulus

55
Q

Encoding
Storage
Retrieval

A

The process of acquiring information and entering it into memory

The process of maintaining information in memory over time

The process of recalling information stored in memory

56
Q

Types of memory

A

Episodic - Memory of an event that happened

Semantic - Memory containing generalised knowledge of the world

Procedural - Memory containing information about how to do things

57
Q

Explicit and implicit memory

A

The process of intentionally trying to remember something

The unintentional influence of prior experiences

58
Q

Levels-of-processing model of memory

A

The view that how well something is remembered depends on the degree to which incoming information is mentally processed

59
Q

Levels of processing

A

Maintenance rehearsal - Repeating information over and over to keep it active in short-term memory

Elaborative rehearsal - Involves thinking about how new information relates to information already stored in long-term memory

60
Q

Context and state dependence

A

Context-specific learning - Memory that can be helped or hindered by similarities or differences in which it is recalled

State-dependent memory - Memory that is aided or impeded by a person’s internal state

61
Q

Logical reasoning

A

Is the process of following a set of rigorous procedures to reach valid, or correct, conclusions

62
Q

Errors of logical reasoning

A

Belief bias - Is the tendency to judge the strength of arguments based on the plausibility of their conclusion rather than how strongly they support that conclusion

Confirmation bias - Is the tendency to pay more attention to evidence in support of one’s hypothesis than to evidence that refutes that hypothesis

63
Q

Consciousness

A

The awareness of external stimuli and our own mental activity

64
Q

Levels of consciousness

A

Non-conscious level - A level of mental activity that is inaccessible to conscious awareness (eg. regulation of blood pressure)

Preconscious level - A level of mental activity that is not currently conscious but of which we can easily become conscious (eg. what you had for dinner last night)

Unconscious level - A level of mental activity that influences consciousness but is not conscious (eg. asleep)

65
Q

Blood-brain barrier

A

A feature of blood vessels supplying the brain that allows only certain substances to leave the blood and interact with brain tissue

66
Q

Agonist and antagonist

A

A drug that mimics the effects of the neurotransmitter that normally binds to a neural receptor

A drug that binds to a receptor and prevents the normal neurotransmitter from binding

PSYCB 1101: Introduction to Psychology (2 decks)

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